A blog devoted to the discussion of the greatest movies ever made, or The Essential Films. From the beginning of cinema history to present day, these films are crucial to the education of anyone who loves the art of film making.

Teenagers on Elm Street are being murdered under mysterious and violent circumstances… and they’re always asleep when it happens. What dark secrets does this average, American street hold?

The Analysis

The first, and best, of the franchise, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” rose above the “dead teenager slasher” films of the 80′s and dared to do something different. Yeah, there were still dead teenagers… but the new imagery and special effects that Craven brought to the big screen at the time were unparalleled. The story still feels fresh and innovative. Plus, it’s kind of hilarious to see a young Johnny Depp in his first major motion picture role. The re-make of this classic is awful, so don’t EVER watch that one. Instead, watch the ORIGINAL Freddy Kruger, one of the greatest on-screen villains.

Heather Lagenkamp plays herself as a semi-retired actress with a wife and family. It’s nearing the 10th Anniversary of the release of the original film, and strange things start to happen. Wes Craven reveals to her that he’s been writing a new “Nightmare” script that’s eerily similar to all the events that are happening in reality. Sometimes the page can’t contain pure evil…

The Analysis

After a string of awful sequels that followed the original, “New Nightmare” takes a new approach towards the Freddy Krueger franchise and blurs the line between reality and fiction. In this film the Krueger character is bleeding into the “real world” and starts to terrorize Heather Lagenkamp, the actress who played “Nancy” in the original “Nightmare.” Craven, probably realizing what a joke his franchise had become, took Freddy back to basics and eliminated (most) of the cheesy one liners and made him terrifying again… complete with a new razor blade hand and a new make-up look and costume design. “New Nightmare” is the best “Nightmare on Elm Street” sequel.